A rush job and basically a throwaway and it still has 40 minutes of great groove. This was at the time when JB could make silence funky.

With the single of "Hot Pants" already on the street, as issued by King Records, it was left for this album to by the first release of James' new deal with Polydor. Financially strapped, King Records chief Syd Nathan sold the contract of his chief meal
ticket (along with James' well-stocked back catalog) to the European-based record giant. James would remain on Polydor for more than a decade, and the label continues to have successful releases on The Godfather, two decades after they parted ways. For this album, James got his band back in the studio and re-recorded the title cut. This "Hot Pants" doesn't start out with quite the same kick, but after the first bridge, this one is
even hotter than the hit single. Putting the tambourine higher in the mix was a stroke of genius. This is one nas-tay non-stop
groove. If you've never heard it before, be sure to have a copy of the single, so you can make your OWN comparison. There are two other key highlights to this CD. The lead cut, "Blues And Pants," gets my vote as being the birth of hip-hop. Listen to the intro, and you'd swear it was the late 1990's. Definitely, this is one of James' most under-rated cuts. The big revelation
of this set is the full-length cut of "Escape-ism," which times in at 19-plus minutes. James was just getting together his next great band (after the departure of the original JB's), but this album features some of Fred Wesley's first solos on trombone, as well as a chance for St. Clair Pinckney to stretch out on sax. James, as a producer, was not one to waste money on multiple sessions. He always recorded live. This version of "Escape-ism"
will really clue you in to how James went about his work. He had
the creative freedom to do anything he pleased, and more often than not, what he released was nothing short of genius. This was
the start of a new day for James Brown. The days of Syd Nathan's
oppressive control were far behind, and James would prove that he
still had a lot of new, vital, trend-setting funk to put out through 1981 on Polydor.

Every dj who spins in a roller rink should have this album. Full of several skating classics, esp. "Escapism" and "Blues and Pants". An extremely cool album to have for your home collection as well!